**London**: Joel Johnson of GEP has been awarded the Pros to Know accolade for his transformative work in procurement, leading significant cost reduction initiatives and leveraging AI to enhance efficiencies. His innovative strategies aim to advance the future of procurement practices globally.
Joel Johnson, Vice President of Consulting at GEP, has been recognised as the overall winner in the Top Procurement Professionals category for this year’s Pros to Know award, presented by Supply & Demand Chain Executive. With over 15 years of expertise in the procurement field, Johnson’s role encompasses various key areas, including process transformation, strategic sourcing, and technology deployment.
Operating at the helm of global procurement transformation programs, Johnson is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing frameworks that enhance organisational efficiency and strategy. His responsibilities include partnering with executives from various sectors to shape strategic initiatives, as well as collaborating with GEP’s data scientists and engineers to utilise cutting-edge technologies in procurement processes.
In the past year, Johnson has led a broad team of more than 250 procurement professionals in 15 countries to execute a strategic cost reduction plan for a Fortune 500 life sciences entity, with an ambitious target of achieving a reduction of $2 billion in external spending by 2024. The project encompassed total spending above $20 billion, addressing both direct and indirect categories of expenditure. Additionally, he was instrumental in a collaborative programme with a major consumer packaged goods (CPG) firm, enhancing its procurement and supply chain functionalities across markets in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia.
Speaking exclusively to Supply & Demand Chain Executive, Johnson detailed the innovation introduced by GEP through its digital tail spend management solutions, which serve to address the long-standing inefficiencies associated with unmanaged small-value purchases. “Tail spend has long been a major pain point for organizations. These are the thousands of small, low-value purchases that are often unmanaged, creating inefficiencies, compliance risks, and cost leakage,” Johnson noted. The solution integrates tail-spend purchases on a single platform, optimising supplier interactions and enhancing the overall user experience while employing generative AI for autonomous sourcing and negotiations.
Johnson also highlighted the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) in procurement during his workshops with Fortune 500 companies, explaining that AI is rapidly transforming the procurement landscape by introducing autonomous processes and predictive analytics. He emphasised: “AI is changing that by enabling predictive analytics to forecast demand and optimize sourcing strategies.”
Looking ahead, Johnson aims to drive a minimum of 20% growth in GEP’s strategy and advisory business by 2025, with at least half of this growth anticipated to come from AI-related consulting services. His commitment includes continuing to lead GEP’s “Digital Garage” workshops, designed to help leaders explore AI opportunities and translate them into actionable transformation plans.
The recognition of Johnson as a Top Procurement Pro underscores the dynamic role of procurement professionals in the ever-evolving supply chain landscape. His work not only contributes to immediate cost reduction and efficiency enhancements but also paves the way for future advancements in procurement through technology and actionable strategies.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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